Apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk.



No. 828,155. PATNTED AUGrl 7, 1906.

H. E. A. VITTENET. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURB OP -ARTFIGIAL SILK.

APPLIGATIONAFILED JULY '7. 1906.`

HENRI ETIENNE ALFRED VITTENET, OF AUREE SUR LOIRE, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE QF ARTIFICIAL SILK.

Specification of Letters Ilatent.

Patented Ang. 7, 190e.

Application led July '7.1906- `Serial No. 325,187.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRI ETIENNE AL- FRED VITTENET, a citizen of theRepublicof France, and a resident of Auree Sur Loire, Haute-Loire,France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatuspassed through the Xing-tube in contact for the Manufacture ofArtificial Silk, of

which the following is a specification. Y In the manufacture ofartificial silk by my process nitrocellulose is dissolved in a soluvtion of acetone in a pure state or associated with a small quantity ofsulfur dioXid, then expressed under pressure through a small orifice,and thus converted into a flamentaryor tlu'ead-like'form in imitation ofsilk, and then subjected in filamentary form to the action of sulfurdioxid, which latter renders the filament supple and brilliant and alsopermits of the recovery of the acetone vapors.

In order to carry out this process, so as to vcollect the mixture ofacetone and sulfurousacid vapors andat the lsame time protect theworkmen from contact with this gas, which is injurious to respiration, Ihave devised the the mner tube.

apparatus forming the subject of. this invention. For each nozzle orsquirter I provide a closed It-ube in which is produced a current ofsulfur dioXid passing in an opposite direction to the movement of thethread. All these tubes are branched onto a general conducting-passagefor the sulfur dioxid, and after having passed along these tubes thesulfurdioxid and the acetone vapors reassemble in -a collector whichconducts the gases and the vapors into a suitable' place where theseparation of the acetone is effected.

The arrangement of the apparatus and its operation will be readilyunderstood vby the following description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

Figure l is a transverse section ofthe apparatus. Fig. 2 shows one ofthe sulfur-dioxid tubes in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan of the top of theouter tube. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is aplan of the top of Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the lower part of thetube, which is arranged above a nozzle, the latter not being shown. Fig.7 shows in elevation a portion of an arl'angementvof ,circulation-tubesfor the sulfur dioxid on the single gas-conducting tube. Fig. 8 shows indetail a section of the cock in this latter arrangement. Figs. 3, 4, 5,6, and 8 are drawn to a larger scale than the other three figures. I

The whole of the apparatus is carried on Vertical standards A, on whichare fixed arms' B O D, the arm B supporting the pipe E, through whichthe sulfur-dioxid gas is conducted, the arm C supporting thecollectingpipe F of the sulfur-dioxid gas, which has with the filamentand the acetone vapor drawn along by it, and lthe arm I) supporting thepipe G, through which is conducted the solution of nitrocellulose inacetone. This pipe G is provided with vertical expressing or squirtingnozzles a, each of them being provided with a cockv b.

On each nozzle lis arranged a fixing-tube which is actually formed oftwo concentric tubes, the inner tube c and the outer tube d..

The inner tube c can be turned within the tube d by means of theoperating-handle e.

These two tubes are provided'with a vertical slot 7c throughout theirheight, so that by bringing the two slots together, as shown in' Fig. 4,the thread can be laid hold of when it commences to issue from .thenozzle'in order4 to introduce it throughout the height of the tube, tocause it to pass out from the top, and

to engage it over the upper roller Hi" At the upper part the outer tubeis almost completely closed and is provided with a radial recess f, (seeFig. 3,) the sides of which are extended to facilitate the introductionof the thread between them when starting. The inner tube is also nearlyclosed at its top and is provided with a radial recess g, whichcoincides with the recess when the slots k of the two tubes coincide.VVh'en the inner tube is turned within the outer tube by means of thehandle e, so as to completely close the tube, the recess g of the upperpart of the inner tube comes underneath a solid portion of the top ofthe outer tube, and there only remains at the meeting-point of the tworecesses and g a small central hole, through whic the thread or iilamentissues.

The upper pipe E, through which the sulfur-dioXid gas arrives, and thepipe F, through -which it leaves, are connected to all the outervertical tubes'd by india-rubber connections h lt. The inner tube c isprovided where these connections are located with a round hole fi, whichcomes opposite the connectionaperture on the tubes h h when the innertube c has been turned to close the vertical slot c. In this positionthe sulfur-dioxid gas arriving through the upper part of the tubesurmounting each nozzle descends in the said tube, passes out throughthe lower connection, and

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reaches the collectingfpipe F through the tion m below the nozzle.

vflexible india-rubber connection h". These india-rubber connections'allow of raising the tube c d above its'nozzle Whenit is required toinspect or clean it orin order to more easily lay hold of the threadwhen starting or in the event of breakage. The tube simply rests on thenozzle, a sufficiently tight joint being obtained by an india-rubberring j, arranged at the lower part of the tube d in a grooved'ring,which rests upon a conical por- Each tube d is guided verticallyv andsupported by two bars n nf, carried by angulai brackets, which barspassbehind rollers o o', carried by armsk p. `These rollers areengagedbetween the ars n n and the tubes. y

The upper bar n formsa spring, so that. when the tube c d is raised asmal tooth or catch 'g on the back of the said bar comes to rest uponthe arm p', which supports thelifted tube. It is only necessary toslightlypull the said bar to disengage the tooth or catch g and free thetube c d. y

The upper connection h, through which the sulfur-dioxid gas arrives, 4isprovided with a: cock 1', which is closed when required to raise thetube, so that the sulfur dioxid ceases to enter.

vIn the 'modification Figs. '7 and 8 each of the inlet and outlet pipesfor the sulfur-dioxid gas is connected to the vertical tubes c d byrigid pipes s, jointed at t; t. At t is a cock connection, which isautomatically closed when the tube c d is raised, so that thesulfurdioxid glas ceases to'enter the said tube, because t en thepassage of the pipe s is no longer opposite the horizontal passage fu,-of the cock. In the case of these jointedrigid tubes the verticalmovement of the tube c d is a arallelogrammic movement.

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s .same apparatus can be employed for recovering in a condition of vaporthe sol'- vents employed in other recesses for theA manufacture ofartificial sil such as alcohol, ether, and carbon bisulfid.

I claim as my invention# l. In an apparatus for the manufacture ofartificial silk, the combination of means for forming a filament ofmetamorphosed cellulose, a closed fixing-tube for containing a gaseousfixing agent, said tube being provided with-a small orifice for thepassage ofV theiila-4 ment, and means for passing a iix'ngfgas seams`through said tube in contact with the filament.

2. In an apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk, thecombination of means for forming a filament of metamorphosed cellulose,and a fixing-tube comprising two concentric tubes provided Withelongated slots, one of said tubes being adapted to turn relatively tothe other to bring the slots into register to open the tube or out ofregister to close it.

3. In an apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk, thecombination of meansfor forming a filament of metamorphosed 'cellulose,and a fixing-tube comprising two concentric tubes provided withelongated slots and with radial slots in theirtops, one of said tubesbeing adapted to turn relatively to the other to bring the slots intoregister to open thetube or out'of register to close it.

4. In an apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk, thecombination of means for` forming a filament "of metamorphosedcellulose, and a Xing-tub'e comprising two' concentric tubes providedwith elongated slots and with flaring radial slots in their tops, one ofsaid tubes being adapted to turn relatively to the other to bring theslots into register to open the tube or out of register to close it.

5. In an apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk, thecombination of means for forming a filament of metamorphosed cellu lose,and a fixingetube comprising tWo concentric tubes rovided withvelongated slots,

one of said tu es being ada ted to turn relatively to the other tobringt e slots into register to openlthe tube or out of register toclose it, and one of said tubes being provided with a handle. A y

. 6. The combination of means for forming a filament of metamorphosedcellulose, and a closed fixing-tube provided with a small orifice forthe passage ofthe filament, a tube` connecting with said fixing-tube forsupplying a fixing-gas thereto and atube connecting with saidfixing-tube for exhausting said fixing-gas therefrom.

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n witness whereof I have hereunto signed .my name, this 23d' day ofJune, 1906, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI ETENNE ALFRED VITTENE'I. Witnesses:

SAMUEL MARiUs, MOUNA'RD SOLLE. l

